thymeandmint

[thymeandmint]

Close encounters!

My beautiful koi betta Bisby has had a jumping spider neighbor taking advantage of her tank light to hunt bugs under for some time, and recently they met face to face! Very happy to capture each of them acknowledging the other - and Bisby's quick look back at me as if to say "you're seeing this too right?!" 🧡

[thymeandmint]

i’m having to say bye to both my tanks as i’m moving countries and i’m just about to rehome everyone. i’m so sad about it but due to EU laws, it’s just not possible to bring them with me. i’m going to be selling my large 55L tank and keeping my smaller 30L tank to potentially bring it with me when i am settled. it’s genuinely devastating to have to say goodbye to them <//3

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Two tiny shrimps battle each other on the back of a sea cucumber, filmed at a depth of 15m. Seacrop Diving School | Japan

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i just did a whole bunch of Big Chops to some of my plants which is. never advisable going into winter but i had some plants that looked a bit worse for wear with the whole moving house and being in a bit of a tough mental spot.

Ive chopped down my variegated monstera (for the second time?? i think??) but like HUGELY. it only had 2 leaves due to my endless war against thrips, so each leaf is its own cutting and then i cut the stem down into 3 node pieces and the original stem. So looking at potentially 6 growth points! lets hope that none of them rot <33

also chopped up my variegated syngonium quite heavily, ive turned the leaves into their own cutting and done the same as the monstera by chopping up the stem into about 4 nodes and the original stem.

I left my pink princess outside all summer and im looking at doing a similar chop and prop situ with her too, its such a forever unruly plant ive never gotten her to look pretty.

Im doing most of my stem propagations in soil instead of spagnum moss/perlite mostly because i dont have any of either atm and also just to see how it goes! It would be great if they could propagate in the pots theyd just be growing in!!

I havent done any legitimate propagation in a long time so heres hoping i am successful

[thymeandmint]

Lets all suck on glass together and make the aquarium clean for everyone

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the way i would kill for my female GBR in the shrimp tank genuinely i love her so much i just got back from a trip away and turned on the lights and i was waiting for her to wake up and the second she did i like waved a little in front of the tank to show her where i was and she got SO EXCITED swam right up to the glass GOD I LOVE HER

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girl what are you DOING

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beloveds

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i realised i never updated this baby!! it’s been like over a year maybe closer to 2 since this guy was hit so badly with thrips that i had to cut it all back! that new leaf that’s hardening off is getting so big, and we are looking at a second one coming in!

my poor antherium clarinervium which got hit badly by thrips has two really good growth points and i’m EXCITED one has been growing a lot so i’m hoping it really pushes it out and it’s a nice leaf :D

[thymeandmint]

Catfishes are my favorite fishes

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rams r so delightful to have just cause they’re super social!! like both of the new rams come up to the glass if they see me !!! even the ram i had to move to the new tank

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A new diminutive subterranean eel loach species of the genus Pangio (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from Southern India

REMYA L SUNDAR+ C.P. ARJUN+ ARYA SIDHARTHAN+ NEELESH DAHANUKAR+ RAJEEV RAGHAVAN

Abstract

A second subterranean species of Pangio is described from an old dug-out well in Kerala, Southern India. The new species, Pangio pathala is unique within the genus in possessing the highest number (27) of caudal vertebrae.  Pangio pathala is distinguished from P. bhujia, the only subterranean Pangio species known so far, in having four pectoral-fin rays (vs. three), five anal-fin rays (vs. six), 67 vertebrae (40 abdominal and 27 caudal vertebrae) (vs. 62–63), and a raw genetic distance of 8.1–8.7% in the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 gene. This paper also provides an additional record of Pangio bhujia from a location 40 km south of the type locality.

Read the paper here:

A new diminutive subterranean eel loach species of the genus Pangio (Teleostei: Cobitidae) from Southern India | Zootaxa (mapress.com)

[thymeandmint]

Turns out the potassium nitrate I had as fertilizer for algae to feed my slut isn't fucking a nitrate salt at all and I am pissed

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had to place one of my rams in baby jail cause it wouldn’t stop chasing the other but GOD it’s so hard to catch fish

[thymeandmint]

so after about a month of stability in the main tank ive decided to try and introduce GBRs again. I've opted to get a slightly larger/older pair than previous, hoping that they will be a little hardier. Both of them have arrived and look supremely healthy which is really relieving, since the last pair i got one was very pale and sad and the other had a gill issue. They seem super lively and are already curious about everything in the tank, I'm just hoping they dont pick on my little ember tetras. I've already decided if they do bother my tetras too much, I'll move them to my 30L temporarily and i'll rehome them.

I've also decided to add back some kuhli loaches, as the ones atm are a little shy, so im hoping bringing the numbers back up will help them be more confident!

[thymeandmint]

beasts!!!!

creatures

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only like 2 weeks in and shrimp tank has had some crazy level of growth!! it’s also cycling super fast, it’s absolutely chewing through added ammonia, i’m now just waiting for it to get through nitrites as fast!!

SHRIMP TANK SET UP

the tank is a 6gal/30L dennerle tank. I wanted to create a little more of a shelf effect with those rocks at the front, but i think i need a few more pebbles to really achieve the right effect

otherwise i think its SOOO pretty!! knowing me I'll be changing it up and moving plants around but for now im happy with it!